I apologize for my nonexistant posting this week. I got sick again a week ago today. Which was mostly weakness, painful coughing and a lot of congestion. I hate talking about being sick, it's a lot like talking about the weather...boring to me. So all told, I went to the doctor  nurse practitioner, I had an ear infection.

I've been taking vitamins and drinking water on a pretty regular rotation and eating really well. I have so much energy today because of it. I'm still coughing, but I'm just ready to get back to normal.

What do you like to eat?

I've been thinking a little this week about food that I like. Food that I actually like. As I was craving garlic, olive oil, salmon, salads and qunioa pretty much everyday this week. When I'm sick I like comfort food and those foods comforted me, but traditionally I think of comfort food as mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese.

Often times I will eat something that I think I like, usually of the high carb, high fat, high sugar variety only to find that I  only think I like it. I mentally think I like eating crap food, but when I actually think about it while doing it I find myself thinking "this really isn't that good, why am i eating it?" which is pretty common for me when it comes to most fast food or convenience foods. I know I'm not alone, I've heard people say "I ate __________ and I really did not like it at all, I felt like crap afterwards" and so I've been asking myself what do I really like to eat?

When I listen to my body, my body likes salads with protein. I love salads. I don't like them because they are healthful, or because they are "diet food" I love them because they taste good and I feel good when I eat them.

I love oily salmon with lots of garlic and olive oil and quinoa (very high in protein and fiber) pretty much the same as the salmon: with lots of garlic and a dash of sea salt. I've found that I crave this food a lot on dark salad greens  mixed together with yogurt dressing or oil-based dressing.

Eating this way is not only filling, but satisfying. I never feel physically sick after eating it. I'm finding that I'm gravitating towards food that make me feel good and I crave that feeling over comfort. This is a place that I have not easily arrived to, trust me, this has been a struggle.

So I'm just curious about the rest of you... comfort, stress, advertising aside, what does your body crave?

hoorah! It's Friday night, we made it. I just realized that I'm going to be 27 in less than a month, hello late 20's!

I have few do's and don't's for 27, it's going to be a good one. Everything I've been preparing for and acting on lately is coming to fruition this year... health, weight loss, self-employment, home ownership that is my 27th year plan. Do you ever have the gut wrenching feeling- the one that asks  "what are you waiting for?" Everyday that I don't chase my goals, it gets even louder.

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You guys love oatmeal too! And for those of you on the fence about it, give loaded oatmeal a try. It's so good! 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup oatmeal (splash of vanilla if you like) and like cook until it bubbles, turn the heat down and let cook for 3 minutes until your desires consistency. I start watching it when it bubbles because i know there is a short amount of time between two thick and two thin.

Have you guys tried chia seeds yet? The new super food buzz going on around the internet? I was sent a packet of Ruth's Chocolate chia goodness to give a try. I said yes, because I rarely turn down free food and because they said chocolate. Oh and that stats were pretty good:

Chocolate Chia Goodness has five times the calcium of milk, more Omega 3 than salmon or flaxseed, along with protein and a powerful wallop of fiber. It’s also gluten-free, lactose-free, and low glycemic – so just about anyone can partake of its benefits. You can mix Chia Goodness with juice, applesauce, yogurt, or cottage cheese. Use it as a toping on yogurt or fruit. You can even add it to pancake or muffin batter for an extra nutritional punch.

That's great and all, but how does it taste?

I liked it a lot in yogurt and dry straight out of the bag, but when I made it as directed I found it to be too salty. I gave some to my co-worker to try and she really liked it mixed in with other foods, but not alone it was too salty for her too. It has sea salt in it, which frankly I didn't want to taste over chocolate. I really liked the health benefits and the protein boost in my greek yogurt. I also liked the occasional cocoa nib.

I've looked for the chocolate flavor online, but only came up with a few other flavors on amazon that have their own reviews:

Have you tried chia seeds? Thoughts? You can read more about chia here.

Okay, it's the weekend! See you tomorrow!

Can I just say that I'm totally addicted to Lost? We started watching in January and we are now into season 4 and the addiction is epic. We will probably need an intervention soon as our lives have been : eat, sleep, work, lost and not much else. help! It's so good!

Now onto oatmeal...

I'll admit I've hated oatmeal most of my life, but I didn't realize that what I was hating was the wrong sort of oatmeal. Dry and instant is not  as good as the real thing cooked with milk, water and vanilla extract. Woah, it's amazing. I started loving oatmeal after having the "loaded oatmeal" at our local diner. Old fashioned oats, butter, brown sugar, pecans and raisins. There are many healthier ways to eat oatmeal, I'm aware, they could throw in some protein powder or a banana, but this is Floyd and as far as I'm concerned loaded oatmeal is an amazing path to travel down.

Behold:

Sometimes with or without the butter, and always cranberries and pecans. I love it because I am full for hours after eating it and is about 400 calories. Are you guys eating oatmeal? I am really late with the oatmeal love.

I finally got around to using some of the spices that the fine folks at Swanson Vitamins sent me. They have a full range of organic spices at really good prices. Their organic cinnamon is $2.62 which is considerably lower than the $4+ prices I've seen at the store.

I've been following the "No s" plan (no snacks, sweets or seconds except for s days or special occasions) for almost two weeks now and my morning oatmeal is so helpful.

Last week a heavy box was waiting on me when I got home and it was soup! The folks from Progresso contacted me about promoting their new line of soups (most under 100 calories) along with their "Souper You Debut". I am really excited about the Progresso mug, which is not plastic (yay) and trying out their new, no MSG soups.

I'll admit that most canned soups hold no interest to me. Growing up I remember telling my mom we had nothing to eat in the house and she'd always respond "there's always peanut butter and jelly and SOUP". Bah. I like homemade soups, chili, stews etc. but sometimes in a pinch it's nice to just open a can. You know what the calories are, you know the ingredients, and you know they lack  MSG.

So far, I've had the minstrone and it's quite good!

Interested in winning your own mug, jump rope (which tracks jumps/calories) and a couple of cans of soup? I believe this contest is limited to the US, so please keep that in mind. All you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite soup memories growing up, or even your favorite soup. I will pick a comment at random and Progresso will get your package out. Note: Linking to this blog entry (and then showing me your blog entry with link in the comments) will grant you another entry into the contest. Please make sure to include your email address so that I can easily contact you. Contest ends January 19th 6pm EST, I will announce the winners on January 20th. Good luck!

Now, if you'd like to win a trip to NYC (who wouldn't?) Progresso is holding a “Souper You Debut” contest for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City.

Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd. The prize includes round trip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1,000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store.

To enter, you’ll need to do the following:
· Go to http://www.progressosoup.com/souperyou/to learn more and enter the contest
· Submit your essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 Calorie Soups and why you would like a makeover
· In addition, please submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay

NYC here  I you come!

I have something very exciting waiting on me at home that deals with exercise and I can't wait to share. In the meantime here is what I ate yesterday:

3/4 Serving ruth's chocolate chia goodness w/ 2 T whole milk: 95 calories (review coming!)

Medium Banana- 105 calories, 2 wheat thins flatbread crackers- 60 calories, 1/4 c pistachios- 170 calories, organic beef minestrone soup- 250 calories, 1/4 C cobbler- 100 calories, hot cocoa w/ whipped cream- 110 calories, 3 bites of pear- 20 calories

2 servings almond nut crackers, 1 oz pinot noir salami, 2 T cibo smoked cheddar jalapeno spread- 300 calories

3/4 serving organic chicken and garlic mini wontons- 225 calories

total: 1,435

Weight loss update: I am halfway to my January weight loss goal of 12 lbs.!

I have a lot of goals for the new year, but this one stands out the most for me. What do I mean by not wasting food? Well, for starters this doesn't mean cleaning my plate even if I'm full. This means, buying fewer groceries, eating what we already have and preparing smaller portions.

In 2009 it's sad to say I threw a lot of food away. I'd go to the store and stock up on fruits and vegetables only to store them away in the bin of doom at the bottom of the refrigerator to be found two weeks later in very bad shape. Why did this happen? I bought too much, I couldn't see it and therefore forgot about it, and I wasn't organized with my meal planning.

I love to cook, but I get so excited at the store and buy enough for weeks of recipes and end up wasting so much. It's just me and Josh, how much can we possibly eat? So my plan is to create weekly menus. Every Sunday I will sit down and inventory what we have on hand and create a menu based on what I want to make for the week. I will use recipes and create grocery lists based on what can be eaten that week.

I needed a spreadsheet to meet all of my goals. Something I could easily print out, fill out and put up on the refrigerator. I'm really pleased with the result and have it for sale in my etsy shop! It is $1.75 and can be printed as many times as you need! Click here for more details.

I had to post about my breakfast this morning! had to. so good. When I had my sister in law take a photo of this with her phone, i didn't know how good this would turn out.  If you like the ingredients...make it. today.

This morning in an effort to actually eat breakfast and lunch today that does not involve a package of pho or fast food I threw a bunch of ingredients in a bag and headed out. Two eggs, arugula, pita, feta etc.

And this is what I came up with:

These were nice looking pitas at the store. Unlike the usual pale, grainy and bitter tasting ones these were brown, chewy and flavorful. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and then cut my pita in half. Next I drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with organic feta, raw cheddar, garlic flakes (lots of those) and dried basil. Placed in the oven for about 5-6 minutes and started cooking up two local eggs in the skillet. 

Once the pitas were done I topped each with an egg, arugula and a few cherry tomatoes. This was so good! And fulfilled a lot of what I wanted this morning: protein, filling, nourishing, and delicious.

I need to blog the good, the not so good and the ugly around here more often. Keepin' it real. Today was not a picture perfect food day, but I want to share it anyway...

Breakfast:

Lunch: local whole wheat bread with feta, raw cheddar, sauce, garlic, olive oil and local arugula salad with amy's green goddess

snack: double shot, two chocolates

Dinner: two servings

This is an example of a weird and random eating day. I didn't bring any food with me for breakfast, this is a habit I go in and out of. I get to work so early that it doesn't leave a lot of room for eating at home or fixing something at work. Solution? Planning ahead. Have breakfast planned out or ready the night before, or keep easy breakfast items at work that are ready to go. IE: items that I won't end up over eating. Hard boiled eggs and oatmeal come to mind.

Lunch was a lot better.  I went to the store at lunch time and prepared this quickly in the office kitchen.

Snack? What the hell is this? I was feeling grumpy and moody after work. For no good reason. And then I got my vintage dress form and thought one of these iced coffee's that I have a soft spot for would be awesome. And it really was. And then I had two chocolates. I don't even like boxed chocolates. This was pointless.

Dinner? I cook, I swear. This is unusual even for me. When I got home I wasn't overly hungry and was so excited about my creative projects that I didn't even think about food until 8pm. At that point I was ready to start working on christmas presents with my sister-in-law so I grabbed these crackers and headed to her house. This was a lame dinner. They filled me up, but they left me bloated from all the salt.

Solution? plan. plan. plan. oh, and keeping the dishes clean, I hate cooking when there are dirty dishes.

Exercise did not happen today mainly because I didn't schedule it in or make it a priority.

I am happy that I came home and kept busy throughout the evening instead of crashing in front of the TV. I worked on a lot of creative projects which made food take a back seat.

Goals for tomorrow:
Wake up at 5am, do at least 30 minutes on the elliptical before work. Bring breakfast and lunch items to eat. Plan what I will either eat out for dinner or prepare for dinner. Blog how I did

Occasionally something will happen to us so often that we accept how it feels and then when it's no longer there we forget why we ever accepted the way things were.

I've been making it a habit with my healthful eating plan to make note of how I feel in a little journal. Noticing small and big changes as I move through the next few weeks. One big change that is so confusing and well accepted by me is my lack of hunger and cravings.

I first noticed this on saturday when I had a green apple for lunch before I went out to go shopping. I forgot about eating until that evening. Which is not a good thing, but so surprising for me I just went with it. Sure I was tempted by all of the comforting ideas of seasonal food (flavored coffee, or christmas candy were high on that list) but, aside from my initial knee-jerk reaction to comfort myself I just did not have hunger.

Hunger for me that I can recall after all of these years is very uncomfortable. I get grouchy, irritable, nauseous and that feeling of  IF I DON'T EAT RIGHT THIS SECOND I WILL EAT YOUR ARM OFF. Which looking at it more closely could be a symptom of high and low blood sugar spikes.

Now that I feel stable in that area, I seem to be able to go longer periods without food and caving to cravings. When I wake up I don't feel that empty -sick feeling of hunger. Hunger is there, but it is more subtle and less uncomfortable.

Its too early to assume I am cured of this desire to overeat, because I'm not. But, I really like how I feel. I like being able to go about my day and not be consumed with the thought of eating or wondering how I'm going to sneak extra food in my day.

This is what my food looks like lately... wild salmon, wild greens...it's a wild time around here! I crack myself up. I tried quinoa for the first time this week. Man that stuff is crazy. First it tastes like a grain, but it is actually a seed that used to be rare and worshipped. It has a lot of protein (7grams per serving) and even more fiber, 11 grams! It is really good. I stirred in a little olive oil, garlic and a pinch of sea salt for taste and it was really good.

I purchased these from the natural section at Kroger, they are organic and about $4 for the package. I've been making my own oil based dressings with garlic and roasted red peppers since I can't have vinegar right now. What else? Roasted chicken, eggs, spinach, walnuts and almonds.

So far the pro's: I've been peeing (tmi) a lot which means I'm losing water weight and ridding myself of excess bloat. win, win. I've felt really good, no brain fog, not energy crashes from sugar and carbs, and no mid-day slumps. I also genuinely enjoy what I'm eating. And not that I'm being obsessive about my weight, but the scale has been going down, down, down.

Con's: The supplements I'm taking are not the best things in the world and if I'm being totally honest I haven't been taking them as often as I should be. It has been hard to get into the habit of remembering to take them with every meal. I am working on getting better at this.

I still have sugar cravings. I was faced with cake and mindlessly shoved two bites into my mouth. And then I realized that I'm off of sugar. oh yeah. I didn't beat myself up over it, just moved on. It hasn't helped that I've been PMSing like crazy, but that have been relieved. Man, I'm classy.

This is not convenient. I love eating out with Josh. We love Indian food and trying out new restaurants, this makes it really hard when you are trying to eat local meat and following a plan that in a restaurant means only eating...lettuce. yum. I have bent my local meat rules a bit, as I just can't starve when given no other options. Like yesterday, I went to an indesign workshop where they served lunch. The best option for me was chili and tossed salad. I put the chili on the salad and called it a day. This plan requires planning, prepping food, and being prepared which isn't always easy and having leftovers is a huge necessity for me.